The present invention relates to lighting for use in photography and cinematography, and more particularly to what is known in the art as soft lights.
Soft lights are light sources in which all of the light emitted from a light bulb is reflected from a white "soft" reflector surface, and then out towards a subject. The soft light reduces harsh shadows in direct proportion to the size of the "soft" reflector. To keep light output even, the rear reflector is usually deeply curved so that no direct light from the light bulb can escape outside the housing of the soft light.
FIG. 1 shows a typical soft light using a deeply curved reflector with a light bulb 1, a light bulb reflector 2 and a spherical reflector 3. A light beam L2 shielded by the deeply curved reflector cannot escape directly outside the light housing without first being reflected from the spherical reflector 3.
However, this type of soft light construction has several disadvantages, namely, the reflector configuration makes the soft light bulky, in other words, the height and depth are about equal. Additionally, the soft light, because of heat build-up from its "closed" design and limited air flow, results in damage to the white reflector surface, and it is difficult to re-paint or clean. For the same reason, color gels cannot be used directly in front of the soft light's opening but need to be attached on extensions at least one foot away from the light. Furthermore, the spherical reflector 3 reflects at the center light beam L2 more light than at the edge light beam L1, which results in uneven light output. To compensate for this the reflector surface has a rough texture.